


I’m Not The Enemy Here

by belivaird_st



Category: Mrs. America (2020), Mrs. America - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Jealousy, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Old-Fashioned, Race
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:01:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26086120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Phyllis can’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy when her daughter Anne starts taking full admiration of their housekeeper Willie.
Relationships: Willie B. Reed/Phyllis Schlafly
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

The Schlaflys’ housemaid, Willie, drops a red checker piece inside one of the plastic yellow slots. She’s playing a game of Connect Four with the youngest daughter. Anne picks up a black checker piece and slips it into the same row to stack on top.

“Is that how we playing now?” Willie takes another checker to slide two rows away from where she first started off.

Anne giggles and deliberately drops another black checker on the row where the second red checker remains.

“Eleanor... Get rid of those curtains... The sooner, the better, once you get your money back!” Phyllis walks into the kitchen with her sister-in-law trailing after her. The anti-ERA leader stops to take sight of the Milton Bradley Connect Four game with slight surprise.

“Mrs. Schlafly, we were, um, I’m just waiting on a load of laundry to dry.” Willie picks herself up from the table with a few red checker pieces in one, tight fist.

“Hm, yes, I can see that,” Phyllis now breaks into her wide, commercial smile. The conservative blonde moves towards Anne to gather up her long, brown hair. “You should end your game and go practice your laps in the pool, honey.”

“I’ll go check that load now,” Willie nervously cuts in.

Phyllis catches Anne jerking her head away. Eleanor suggests that she could take Willie’s place and finish the game after the swimming lessons.

“See? Aunt Eleanor will play with you,” Phyllis grins.

“No! I want Willie!” Anne gets up and runs out of the kitchen.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into her,” Phyllis frowns.

Eleanor goes ahead and starts putting away the game back in its box.


	2. Chapter 2

“You better go swim in that pool,” Willie tells Anne the moment she swings the dryer shut and catches sight of the girl looking back at her from the top of the cement cellar stairs.

“It’s going to rain, and I like being with you,” Anne shrugs.

Willie spins the dial and pushes a green square button to make the load machine to start. It begins to rumble with noise.

“Anne. Your mother’s already unhappy with me...” Willie starts walking towards the stairs in a pair of hemp woven flats. Taking hold of the bannister, she moves up with Anne scrambling to get out of the way.

The late summer weather has fallen cool outside. The sky darkens with clouds. Anne’s hugging her goosepimply arms together as she stands above the Schlaflys’ swimming pool in her bathing suit and rubber cap.

Back in the house, Phyllis prepares herbal ginger tea for both herself and Eleanor. The sister-in-law sits at the table with one hand touching the primary color square box of the Connect Four game. Her mind’s on her niece and the dramatic stunt she pulled earlier.

“I’ve never played this game before,” she says more to herself than to Phyllis.

“Really? It’s a classic,” Phyllis chuckles, dipping both their cups of boiled tea with flavored bags at the countertop. She peers up once Willie approaches them with a folded towel in her arms.

“This is for Anne,” the housemaid explains.

“Oh, how very kind of you, Willie. I’m afraid she’s still not in the pool yet,” Phyllis laughs.

“It’s for the rain,” Willie remembers the child’s words.

“Rain? Well, it’s not suppose to—”

A faint, yet distinctive low sound of thunder breaks apart the outside home making Phyllis stop in her tracks. Eleanor slowly gets up on her feet. 

The women rush outside to meet the shivering Anne on the patio getting soaked by the heavy downpour. Phyllis moves to collect her, but it’s Willie who has the towel spread out that makes the girl run for it.


End file.
